At the same time, Mr. Petridis informed about the efforts of the Republic of Cyprus to solve the problem of the maintenance of military equipment from Russia, while he also responded to the issue of sending equipment to Ukraine, stressing that Cyprus does not have the capacity to provide weapons systems.
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The Defense Minister in his statements after the Commission said that the Ministry will not reduce in any way the deterrent, defense capabilities of the country under occupation. "I clearly state that no National Guard weapon systems will be handed over," he said, noting that we are in solidarity with Ukraine as the Republic of Cyprus has supported EU decisions and is contributing with humanitarian aid.
Regarding the problem of maintenance of arms programmes and systems by Russia, he said the ministry is focusing on ways to address it, taking into account the important obligations of the Republic of Cyprus.
In response to a question, Petrides said that there are alternatives to the maintenance problem, which is being investigated.
Asked about the issue of the provision of technology to Turkey by other European countries and whether the effort to inform Europeans and prevent such developments is done in cooperation with other countries, he said there is cooperation with Greece and within the framework of the possible the best possible solution for the Republic of Cyprus is being sought.
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, DISY MP Harris Georgiades, in his own statements said that the purpose of the session was to inform and coordinate the Government and the Parliament in relation to Turkey's arms upgrade and in particular Turkey's cooperation with other countries and how through parliamentary diplomacy it is demonstrated that Turkey is a revisionist and aggressive country that undermines the stability and security of the region.
He said that through contacts with parliaments of third countries we should make it difficult for Turkey to become a hegemonic power, relying primarily on its military power.
Georgiades said that the most important fact to record is that Turkey has invested in its military industry, but still relies on importing technology from third countries. "This is where we need to focus our intervention," he said.
Asked if we can get results in this effort, Georgiades said that cooperation with Greece and other countries is a given and has yielded some results. "We are not flying in the clouds, we know the weight Turkey has. Our aim is to demonstrate that the approach of EU member states and other states should not be tactical but should foresee in advance that this is a destabilizing and revisionist country," he said. Georgiades said that he was in no way retracting as he supports the position that Ukraine should be supported with arms by those states that have the capacity. Such states, he said, include most of our partners in the EU.
"We support the efforts of those states that can support Ukraine. At the same time, a country under semi-occupation with a small army does not have the capacity to do the same, which does not mean that we would not be interested in exploring possibilities that would allow us to replace old Russian equipment."
Erotokritou on behalf of DIKO said that what we should ensure is that as far as European countries are concerned, the 2019 decision of the Commission, which imposed a restriction on European states' trade in war material with Turkey as a result of the pandemic and other reasons, is implemented and becomes even more relevant.
He added that other reasons should be put forward for this restriction, the first being the continued occupation of Cyprus, the second being the instability caused by Turkey's aggression in the region. He said that European partners should consider whether a country that violates not only human rights but also the decisions of European courts can be an exporter of its own war material or an importer of technology that helps it to expand its revisionist policy in the region. If there is a suggestion to help Cyprus by upgrading its defence capability, through replacement or supply of defence equipment, then possibly some may be able to discuss such a possibility.
ELAM MP Christos Christou[/B] said that the Republic of Cyprus should take action to implement an arms embargo from the EU to Turkey, noting that countries such as Spain, Germany, Italy and the UK are helping by providing expertise and components in the manufacture of Turkish weapons systems. European countries if they consider Cyprus as their ally, he said, should understand that Cyprus is becoming the recipient of Turkish aggression and that they should step in and protect the Republic of Cyprus.
Asked about the issue of giving arms to Ukraine, he said that any such discussion would be conditional on the replacement with the same weapons systems which would come from either EU countries or the US.
Source: CNA
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